Jar-opener.



UNITED STATES r ATENT. OFFICE.

GEORGE M. DUVALL, or AUBnamnasseCHUsnTTs. ASSIGNOB or ONE-HALF 'ro WILLIAM A. DUVALL, or AUBURN, MASSACHUSETTS- JAB-OPENER.

Specification of Letters- Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

dpplioationfiledlebruary 21,1 09. sum ire-c432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen M. DUVALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at- Auburn, in the county of Worcester and Conunonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement 111 Jar-Openers, ofwhich the following is "a specification forming a part of the same, in which Figure 1 is a side viewof'my improved jar opener in position to open a jar, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. r v

Edmilar reference figures refer to similar parts in the different views.

My invention relates to openers for ars in which a gasket or washer is employed to make an air tight joint between the jar andclaims.

shown in dotted its cover, and comprises means for removing the covers after they have been nnfastened, and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and pointed out in the annexed In the use of jars designed for the .pres-v ervation of material which would be injured by continued exposure to the air, such as fruit, the cover of the jar is usually closed while the contents are hot, and is firmly fastened with a gasket or washer of rubber or similar material betweenthe cover and the top of the jar in order to form an air tight joint, so that upon the cooling of the contents a partial vacuum in formed within the jar. As a result, the cover of the jar is subjected to more or'less air pressure. tending to keep it in contact with the washer, so that it is necessary to open a communication between the outside air and the inside of the jar to equalize the air pressure before the cover can be removed. In addition, it frequently occurs that the washer is attached to jar and cover by the adhesive character ofthe contents of the jar, and a certam amount of force is necessary to accom- I Referring to the accompanying drawings,

1 is a jar constructed of ass or similar material, providedwith' a cover 2, and with a washer or gasket 3 between the cover and the top of the jar. A wire fastening 4;, ines in Fig. 1, is provided accompanied by drawings,-

to hold thecover tightly in contact with the washer 3 in the well known manner.

order to. separate the cover from the jar after the wire fastening is in the position shown in Fig.1, I provide a stationary three armed member 4* having radial arms 5, 'withtheir tips bent downward forming clumpsfi, arranged to contact with the periphery of the; cover. The member 4 is also provided with a radial arm 7 to project over the edge of the cover, extending horizontally and bent downward at 8 and outward at 9,-

to provide a bearing surface in the plane from-the pivot 11v to the edge of the washer 3, and is provided with a knife edge 13 prefrably slightly curved, to adapt it to be crowded ihQiSWQBILthB-"WiiShGI 3 and the top ofthe ja I The pivoted lever 10 is placed at an angle to the arm 7 and the member 4 is placed upon the cover 2 of the jar, as shown in Fig. 2. Movement of the lever 10 to the position indicated by the dotted lines 14 in Fi 2 will cause the knife edge 13 to be crowded, preferably, between the washer 3 and the top of the jar, thereby opening communication between the inside of the jar and the outside air, and equalizing air pressure uponthe inside and outside of the cover. With the lever 10 in the position shown by dotted lines 14 in Fig. 2, the outer end 15 may be raised and thecover lifted from the jar, and, in this position, it will supplysuflicient levera e'to lnsure the removal of the cover, even t ough the cover, jar and washer are stuck together b the adhesive character of the contents of t e jar.

The entering end of the lever 10 is slightly 7 beveled and acts as a wedge to lift theedge of the cover which is held between the lever 10 and the supporting three armed member 4, enabling the device to serve as a bandle for holding the cover.

It will be observed that the'entry of the be'veled edge 13 below the cover 2has a decided tendency to force said cover upwardly,

away from the upper end of the jar, thereby beveled edge 13 is to press the jar cover laterally, into closer contact with the claws 6,

the jar in the manner above described, the

said claws 6 will act as supporting legs to prevent the contact of the washer or cover .with the stand or table on which it may be laid, and thus preclude the possibilit of access of foreign matter tothe face of the cover or washer, and at the same time prevent any of the contents of the jar adhering to the inside of the cover from being smeared over the stand or table.

I claim,

l. A jar opener, comprising a supporting member adapted to rest on the top of the jar cover, said supporting member provided.

with downwardly extending arms to engage the cover, and also provided with a downwardly extending portion bent to form a bearing surface in the plane of the top of the jar, and a lever'pivoted on said bearing surface, one arm of said lever provided with a beveled edge adapted to enter between the jar and cover to crowd the cover against the supporting member, whereby said cover is gripped and carried by said jar opener upon removalfrom the jar.

2. A jar opener, comprising a supporting member adapted to rest on the top of the 'jar cover, said supporting member provided with arms extending downwardly to engage the cover, and also provided with a downwardly extending portion bent to form a bearing surface in the plane of the top of the jar, a lever pivoted on said bearing surface, said lever having a beveled edge at one end adapted to be crowded between the top of the jar and the cover, whereby to retain said cover between the said lever and said supporting member, the said arms of the supportin member extendin below and beyond the p ane of the top 0 the jar to support said cover in a raised osition upon its removal, in conjunction w1t the opener, from the jar. 4

Dated this twentieth day of February,

GEORGE M. DUVALL.

Witnesses PENELOPE COMBERBACH, NELLIE WHALEN. 

